Eid-el-Fitr: Islamic cleric urges Muslims to obey ban on congregational prayer

Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde 

Ahead of Eid-el-Fitri celebration, which significantly marks the end of Ramadan with two "rakah"  (Nawafil) prayers, an Islamic cleric, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, has urged Muslims to eschew sentiment and see the banning of congregational prayer by government as a necessary sacrifice to rid the country of the deadly coronavirus.

Alhaji Akintunde, who is the Secretary-General of Alasalatu Society of Nigeria and West Africa (ASONWA), said the appeal has become expedient in view of the clamour by some clergymen and religious leaders asking government to vacate the order to enable religious congregations to seek divine intervention against the pandemic.

He said: "With the increasing number of cases and concerted efforts by stakeholders at curtailing the deadly pandemic, the call for relaxation amounts to insensitiveness and will be counter-productive to the progress being made in the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

"As citizens have continued to violate the social and physical distancing regulation, especially in public places, it will be unwise, unspeakable and unjustifiable for government to heed the call that was largely based on sentiment, more so that the regulatory measures as prescribed by NCDC is not in tandem with Islamic mode of worship which emphasizes group or cluster interactions during prayers".

Great Achiever Magazine reports that the cleric noted that the war against COVID-19  should be a joint exercise by both the leader and the led, while the need for more endurance and understanding by the religious minded Nigerians cannot be over emphasised.

Alhaji Akintunde therefore enjoined Muslims to co-operate  with government, while also complying with the directive of the Muslim leadership, as no responsible and responsive government would want to deliberately subject its citizens to hardship or discomfort.

He also asked the faithful to take responsibility for their health by staying indoor and celebrate the "Sallah" in their respective homes, as he counselled against visitation to amusement park, in a bid to check community transmission of the virus.

Alhaji Akintunde said COVID-19 pandemic demands being sensible and prayerful indoor than being religious and prayerful outwardly.

He also advised the state governors who are desirous  of easing the lockdown by lifting the "closure order" on worship centres to exercise restraint and abide by COVID-19 protocol as the move can boomerang and undermine the PTF and NCDC efforts.

The cleric opined that, as the worship centres are ever populated, the chances of the virus spreading among the worshippers should not be ignored. Hence the need for the governors to shun pressure occasioned by ethno-religious and cultural sentiments, as life has no duplicate.